Pair Of Key Tennessee Basketball Players On Injury Report Ahead Of Matchup With No. 1 Auburn

Photo via Tennessee Athletics

The status for a pair of Tennessee basketball players is uncertain for Saturday’s top 10 matchup against top-ranked Auburn.

Igor Milicic Jr is probable for the game with a “lower body” injury while Jordan Gainey is questionable due to “illness” on the SEC Availability Report.

Milicic was a partial participant in Friday’s practice open to the media and did a good bit of five-on-five team work. Gainey was at Tennessee’s practice but did not participate while battling the illness.

Milicic is Tennessee’s starting power forward and is averaging 10.3 points and a team-best 8.4 rebounds per game. The 6-foot-10 power forward has broken out of his shooting slump that plagued him during December and is shooting 35% from three-point range in SEC play.

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Gainey is the Vols’ sixth man and has been much improved in his second season since transferring to Tennessee from USC Upstate. The bench shooting guard is averaging 11.2 points and 3.2 rebounds per game so far this season and is shooting 34% from three-point range.

Tennessee is very thin this season with just nine scholarship players currently healthy and available. If Gainey can’t go, freshman guard Bishop Boswell will see more minutes while forward Darlinstone Dubar would have a bigger role if Milicic can’t go.

Auburn has a big injury question themselves with star power forward Johni Broome who is questionable for the game. Broome is a National Player of the Year candidate and has missed the Tigers’ last two games with an ankle injury.

Tipoff between Tennessee and Auburn is at 8:30 p.m. ET on Saturday night. Dan Shulman, Jay Bilas and Jess Sims are on the call for ESPN. ESPN’s College Gameday will also be broadcasting live at Neville Arena in Auburn on Saturday morning.

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